Well, the whole ‘post once a week’ thing didn’t last, or at least it needs resuscitating, but I have been doing something creative (almost) every day. I’ve finished the embroidered limestone panel, and I’m reasonably pleased with it, just have to make something to hang it from. I have an idea for that, just haven’t done it yet. I’ll take some photos to post soon.

Now last night I started on the second piece, with only two weeks to go. It’s going to be a scarf, for the class for items using water soluble stabiliser to make machine embroidered lace. I have an idea for the design, although I will need to come up with a catchy title for it, there isn’t really a theme for this piece as there was for the first.

I bought some water soluble paper, as being stiffer and easier to stitch on than the normal soluble stabiliser I might have otherwise used. I have some fabric, which may or may not be silk, doesn’t really matter, in grey and taupe. I have cut narrow bias strips of both, and laid them out in a fairly random and organic pattern on the paper. So far I have just tacked them down, then I will work over them with some silk ribbon and hand dyed silk threads, filling in the gaps between, so that when I wash away the stabiliser I’ll be left with a lacy scarf. That’s the theory anyway. It looks OK at this stage, but I decided that instead of using normal sewing thread for the lacy bits as I was going to, I need heavier thread to give it more body. So this afternoon I’m going prospecting for something like perle cotton which I can use in the bobbin for the machine stitching. I already bought hand dyed thread and ribbons from here http://www.colourstreams.com.au/, but I need some plainer threads for a background.  I’m also undecided whether to leave the edges of the fabric strips unfinished, as they are at the moment, or finish them somehow. They won’t fray much as they are on the bias, and I quite like the look of mild fraying, but I’m again worried that there won’t be enough body, and maybe I should zig zig the perle cotton over all the edges to give them a corded look. Some trial pieces might be in order.